Geological history of denali and savage river / savage river trail

Geological History of denali and savage river

Throughout millions of years, many rocks were accreted (attachment of a group of rocks), including the Yukon-Tanana terrane (large group of similar rocks). These rocks include igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic. During these movements, Mt. McKinley and many other mountains were formed. The Yukon-Tanana Terrane is mostly metamorphic, including lots of schists. Denali (Mt. McKinley) is granite that was underground and has been pushing up since the beginning of the Cenozoic Era.Many types of rocks from these times can be found today in Denali. The best spot to find most of them is at Savage River. On the Prezi below, watch it to learn more details about the geological history of Savage River, Denali, and most of Alaska. This time scale begins with the Triassic Period and ends with the Holocene Period. We skipped the first periods from the Paleozoic Period.

Below are just photos I took during our hike on the trail at Savage River.